Marui's cousin, Yukimura's love
by ANIMELUVER2008
Summary: Marui's cousin, the famous American prodigy is joining Rikkaidai in the regulars' second year... she's made their team Coach and Manager.. what will happen? please read and review.... i might change the pairing into a harem if you vote for it... Enjoy!
1. Kagome Appears

Marui's Cousin,Yukimura's Love

**A/N 1: Ok... this was supposed to be my KagomeYukimura two-shot in my 'Love and its Sweetness' collection, however, i'm getting too many ideas for this so i'll be making this into a separate fic instead k??? I'll try to keep it as short as possible... i mean i'll try to make it into a short story but... i guess we'll have to wait and see.. I might even turn up adding some competition for Yukimura as i go on... But i'll try and think up a new idea for that one-shot or two-shot for that collection so please be patient... If possible you all can give me any ideas that you have for that pairing as well...**

_**A/N 2: since I couldn't find out who was the captain of the Rikkaidai Tennis Club when Yukimura and the other regulars were 2nd years, I'll be naming Yukimura as the captain of the team during that year as well... Also, in this Yagyuu is already a part of the tennis club.... so in short this will be slightly AU… Enjoy!!!**_

**Summary: Marui's cousin, Kagome joins Rikkaidai in their second year. She was instantly asked to be Rikkaidai's manager and coach. She manages to earn the respect of all the regulars and all of them like her. One regular in particular seems to be developing feelings for her. What would happen if she turns up loving him in return? After he's sent to the hospital, she's the one who comes to see him everyday. The final of a tournament leave all the regulars depressed… what will happen now? How will the two get together? Will they become a couple or remain as friends?? Read to find out... Please RnR**

_**Pairings:**_

_**Kagome Higurashi and Seiichi Yukimura (I might end up changing the pairing later... i mean making it a harem if i feel like it... :) though Yukimura WILL be in the harem no matter what, if i change the pairing to a Kagome Harem, i mean...)**_

_**Maybe some competition for Yukimura in the form of other prodigies liking Kags... so one-sided feelings towards Kagome could be possible...**_

**Disclaimer: Nope… I own nothing….**

_**Warning; Yaoi (maybe). set in the PoT universe from the second year of the Rikkaidai regulars… characters may be OOC. Descriptions won't really be given unless its an OC or something… The beginning is slightly based on the beginning of 'The Prince of Tennis OVA Another Story 4'**_

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_

Chapter 1: Kagome Appears

The new year at Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku was just starting. All the first years were now second years, including the previous first year tennis club members, namely Hiroshi Yagyuu, Masaharu Niou, Jackal Kuwahara and Bunta Marui, and the three first year regulars of the team, namely Seiichi Yukimura, Genichirou Sanada and Renji Yanagi.

As Marui, the red-haired, grey-eyed net-specialist, and Jackal, the dark-complexioned, brown-eyed half-Brazilian defense-specialist, walked towards the school, they blinked in surprise when they saw a black blur pass by them. Niou and Yagyuu, who were walking a few steps in front of the two, blinked in surprise as well when the black blur passed them too.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Bunta-kun" Marui and Jackal heard a soft, feminine voice say from behind them. Recognizing the voice, Marui turned around only to have his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the raven-haired girl standing a few steps behind him.

The girl was very beautiful for her age- her body was developing well with slight curves visible even through the lose material of her uniform, a heart-shaped face with soft pink lips curled up in a sweet smile, a small nose, high cheekbones and expressive sapphire blue orbs for eyes. Her long blue-hued raven-black hair reached a few inches past her lower back curling slightly at the tips. Her bangs framed her angelic face, giving her an innocent yet mysterious look.

Unable to hold himself back, Marui ran over to her and engulfed her in a gentle hug. Her voice itself had caught the attention of the other students around them, making them turn around to find the source of the soft voice. Giggling softly, the girl hugged him back before saying, "I've missed you too, Bunta-kun"

Smiling when he pulled away and looked her over, the girl lifted up a slender hand and opened her closed fist, "Is this what you were looking for?" she asked, showing him the pink chewing gum packet resting gently on the palm of her hand.

Smiling wide at the girl, he gently snatched up the gum and pulled the girl into his arms again. Their hug was broken when they heard Jackal say, "Marui, who is this?"

The two teens turned to him before the girl bowed at him apologetically. Smiling at him as she stood back upright, then said, "Forgive us. I'm Kagome Higurashi, Bunta-kun's cousin. I'll be joining this school from today onwards. It's nice to meet you."

Jackal nodded and smiled a small smile before bowing slightly, "I'm Jackal Kuwahara, a member of the school tennis club. It's nice to meet you too."

Before they could say anything else, the sound of the warning bell for the first class was heard. Smiling, Kagome looked at her cousin and winked before saying, "Wanna race, Bunta-kun? The last one to reach class is going to pay for the pastry we'll eat as we go home."

He looked at her a bit worried and confused, "But do you know your way around the school, Kagome?" he asked her only to get a smirk in return, "Of course I do, Bunta-kun. It seems you're forgetting that I've studied here for a year before I had to leave for the States."

Realizing that she was right, he smiled and nodded, "Alright Kagome-chan. But this time you're the one who's gonna lose." He smirked. "Yeah right." She said, "Never"

With that, the cousins bid good-bye to Jackal and started to race towards their class. As she ran through the corridors, she smiled at the students who made way for them. Running through another corridor, Kagome gasped when she bumped shoulders with someone. Turning so that she was running backwards, she smiled at the blue-haired indigo-eyed boy who smiled back when she said, "I'm sorry."

With that, she turned back around and continued running towards the classroom.

**With Yukimura just before he bumped into Kagome:**

Yukimura was walking in the halls with Renji Yanagi, the data-master of their team, and Genichirou Sanada, his best friend and the one known as the 'Emperor' of their team, so that they could reach class without being late.

As they were walking, he was thinking about the freshman who was standing on the wall some time ago as he proclaimed that he'd "beat the tennis team and become number one". He was snapped out of his thoughts when the sound of running feet was heard from in front of him.

Looking at the source of the sound, he couldn't help but let his eyes widen slightly when he saw a beautiful raven-haired girl, probably the same age as him, running towards him. He blinked in surprise when instead of stopping before him, she continued running past him, bumping his shoulder as she ran. He turned around and couldn't help but smile when he heard the raven-haired sapphire blue-eyed beauty turn to run backwards before she smiled and apologized to him in her soft, sweet voice.

He watched as she turned back around and kept on running. He blinked in surprise yet again when a black and red blur passed by him. What helped him recognize that it was Marui was when he heard the red-head's voice say "Hey Yukimura-san, Sanada-san, Yanagi-san." He smiled and turned back around, knowing that when he'd meet Marui during practice, he'd ask what was happening that morning. He also had a feeling as though he'd probably meet the girl during their practice as well. He could feel excitement bubbling in him slightly at the thought of getting to know the beauty.

**Back with Kagome:**

As she was about to reach the classroom, Kagome saw a black and red blur almost pass by her. Smirking, instinctively knowing it was her cousin, she increased her pace so that she was just a bit before her cousin. Seeing someone near the door, Kagome gasped softly and tried to slow down, catching her cousin's attention in the process.

Before she could stop herself, though, she almost crashed into the person at the door, instead crashing into the boy standing behind the person. The boy caught her, and managed to stop both of them from falling. As he did, he was mesmerized by her beauty. Kagome, seeing as she had been caught, smiled at the boy who caught her in thanx, making him more in awe of her beauty.

He was snapped out of her thoughts when she pulled away and apologised to him before turning to Marui, who had just arrived into the class and was looking at her worriedly. "Are you ok, Kagome-chan?" he asked his cousin, pulling her into his arms for a gentle hug. Kagome smiled and replied to him, "I'm fine, Bunta-kun. He saved me." she looked at the boy who had saved her, with a smile.

Marui looked at the guy as well and narrowed his eyes when he saw the guy staring at his Kagome-chan. He didn't want anyone he didn't approve of to ask Kagome out. After all, she was very special to him, and he knew that Kagome wouldn't be happy with someone he didn't approve of. It was obvious that his Kagome-chan was going to get a fan-club soon. And besides, he already had someone in mind for his Kags to date. He'll be sure about his decision when he sees how the guy, who he wants Kagome to date, acts around her.

He nodded his thanks then looked at Kagome again. Smiling, he said, "That's good, Kagome-chan... But it seems you won again." he said, frowning slightly, then he smiled, "So i'll buy that pastry today evening..." he said, letting her go

Kagome smiled and gently cupped his cheek in her hand, "No, Bunta-kun. I'll buy it today. After all, i was just lucky to win. But i probably shouldn't have sped up, since i actually could have ended up hurting someone." she looked down regretfully as she said this.

Not wanting to see his precious Kagome so sad, he gently said to her, "It's alright, Kags. No-one was hurt so it's fine."

Kagome smiled at him but before she could say anything else, the warning bell rang. Turning towards the class, they both noticed that the class wasn'tfull yet, but they were standing at the door. "let's go to our seats, Kagome-chan." Marui said to his sister.

At Kagome's confused look, he said, "The seats haven't been taken yet since its the first day, so you can sit next to me." Kagome smiled and nodded before both the cousins made their way towards empty placed seats side by side.

Finding a couple of seats, conveniently placed next to each other with one next to the window, Marui smiled. Knowing how fond Kagome was of nature, Marui let Kagome take the seat next to the window as he sat on the chair next to hers. Both of them were immediately surrounded by the various girls and boys of their class.

When the teacher entered the class, he found that both Marui and a new student sitting next to him were surrounded by the whole class. He hit the duster on the table a few times, catching everyone's attention. "Sit back in your seats." he said, looking at them all strictly.

Immediately, all of the students, sans Marui and Kagome, were seated in their seats. Kagome pulled out her schedule from her bag and standing up, she walked over to the teacher's desk. Handing the schedule to the teacher to sign, she waited till she had got it back. When he gave it back, she knew the teacher wanted her to introduce herself.

Turning, she looked over all the students of the class before bowing. Standing up straight again she smiled and said, "Hello.. My name is Kagome Higurashi. It's nice to meet you. I'm Bunta's cousin and will be studying here with you all. Please treat me well." She bowed again before turning to the teacher and bowing.

With that she walked over to her seat without another word. The teacher sighed yet nodded. Without a word he started the lecture. As the lesson continued, Kagome sighed and looked out the window. She was bored. She had thought that it would be fun going to the same school as her cousin and his friends, the famed Rikkaidai tennis club members. But apparently, classes here were as boring as any other school. She just hoped that the day ended quickly. She really wanted to meet all the Tennis team members that her brother spoke so much about.

"Higurashi-chan?" she heard the teacher's voice call her. Turning to him, she saw someone waiting at the door looking at her patiently. "Yes, sensei?" she asked as she stood up. "The principal has called you. You are excused till you get back from the Principal's offince."

Kagome nodded and gave a smile to her brother before stepping out of her seat and walking towards the person at the door to the class. Following the lady to the Principal's office, Kagome nodded her thanx to her when she left her at the door.

She knocked gently on the door and entered when given the permission. Entering the room, Kagome smiled at the the kind-looking slightly plump man sitting in the Principal's chair. He had short blonde hair and gentle sky-blue eyes. He seemed to be joyous and encouraging apart from being well respected and nice. He was wearing a white shirt, black pants, a black coat and black shoes. He wore oval glasses over his eyes, which shown with the pride and love he had for his students. On his table were a few files as well as the usual pens, pencils and such. He was looking at her with a kind, welcoming look.

"Did you call me, sir?" she asked the principal in her soft, sweet voice.

The principal, Principal Ozawa, looked at the young girl before smiling at her. He had big plans for this girl. He knew she would excel in anything she did, and he planned on using that skill to help in improving their school boys' tennis team further.

"Yes Kagome-chan. I wanted to ask you something. However, i think it best to discus about this in the presence of the tennis team regulars. And since only three of the last years regulars are present in this school, considering the rest were third years last year, i would like you to call them." He said to the raven-haired beauty

At Kagome's nod, he wrote down a note for the teacher of the class, requesting that Seiichi Yukimura, Genichirou Sanada and Renji Yanagi be excused for a while. Signing it, he read over it one more time before handing it to Kagome. "Please go to Class 2-5 and hand this over to the teacher there. Once the boys come out of the room, i want you to introduce yourself to them and bring them here, to my office. I'm sure you'll get along well with them, after all, you are going to be spending a lot of time with them and the rest of the club members." he said, smiling at her

Kagome gave him a confused look, then nodded, knowing that once she and the three boys get there, she would come to know what the Principal was talking about anyway. With a bow to the principal she excused herself. She made her way to the said class and on reaching there, she gently knocked the door. Gaining permission from the teacher to enter, Kagome slid the door open and entered the room

Ignoring the looks she was being given, Kagome handed the note to the teacher and watched as she read it, then nodded and looking at the mentioned boys, announced, "Yukimura-kun, Sanada-kun and Yanagi-kun. The principal has asked for you three."

Kagome watched as three boys, one of them being the boy she had accidently bumped shoulders with a while ago, stood up from their seats and walked over to her. Kagome smiled at them, then bowed to the teacher before gracefully walking out of the room. Steeping out of the room, Kagome waited for the three boys to do the same before sliding the door closed.

She looked at the three boys before bowing to them and introducing herself, "I'm Kagome Higurashi, Bunta-kun's cousin. Nice to meet you." she watched as the three boys bowed and introduced themselves as well.

"Shall we?" she asked, looking at them. At their nods, she smiled and turned around. Once they had stepped over to walk next to her, they all started walking, heading towards the Principal's office.

After a while, Kagome remembered something and without looking at the boys, she said, "I'm sorry for bumping into you this morning, Yukimura-san." The three boys looked at her in surprise. She wasn't trying to woo either of them, like any of the other girls did, they mused, _'It seems there's finally a girl different from the rest of the lot'_ was the only thought running through their minds

Yukimura glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but like her. Looking at his other two friends, he could easily see that they too seemed to like the girl. Even though, they didn't show it in their expressions, after the one year they'd spent together, he could see the slight difference in their eyes.

He smiled and replied, "That's fine, Kagome-san. You already apologised before anyway, so you didn't really need to do so again." He couldn't help but admire her features; after all, she was a very beautiful young girl.

Reaching their destination, he reached forward and knocked on the door. Getting the permission to enter the said room, he slid open the door and let the others go inside before following them and sliding the door closed behind him.

Seeing the Principal looking through some papaers, the four teens looked at each other before turning back to look at the principal. "Ahem" Sanada cleared his throat to get the Principal's attention.

The principal looked up from the papers and smiled at the four in front of him. "Oh you're here!" he said before continuing, "Boys meet your team's new manager and coach." he signalled towards Kagome. "Since she has been named as America's famous prodigy, The Princess of the Tennis Courts, and she has transferred to our school, i would like her to help our school team in improving even more than we have." he finished, making Kagome smile at the offer yet blush softly as her secret had been revealed and the boys' eyes widen at the name.

"Kagome-san, are you really the famous American prodigy, Princess of the tennis courts?" Renji asked the girl, surprised to see the famed 'Princess' in front of them. Kagome smiled then shook her head, "I WAS the prodigy "Princess of the tennis courts." I abandoned that title when i transferred here, because i wasn't too fond of all the attention being directed at me." she shrugged slightly.

The three boys couldn't help but respect her a bit more at the revelation; after all, the 'Princess of the tennis courts' was said to be respected by all the players world-wide. Her beauty and skill, along with her nature and intellegence were well known throughout the world. So, it was actually an honour for them to be able to train under such an amazing player and person.

"I would be honoured to spend time with your School tennis team." she smiled making the boys' eyes widen while the Principal nodded, smiling. "Not only will i be able to make some good friends but also spend time with my cousin, all the time that i haven't been able to spend with him during all these years" _'And maybe i can find love during my time here'_ she thought to herself, running her eyes over the three boys in the Principal's office room with her. She had to admit that they were all quite handsome but she never judged someone by just their looks, so she knew that they would probably be very good friends to her if not more. Her sapphire blue eyes connected with the soft indigo of the famed 'Child of God' and a soft warmth developed in her heart, quite unlike the friendly warmth she felt towards the other two boys.

_'He seems to be someone i could easily fall in love with'_ she thought to herself. She could see a slight softness overcoming the dark-blue haired boy's eyes before their eyes snappd away from each other and to the Principal when he said, "Since i'm handing the responsibility of training the team to you, Kagome-chan, i would also like you to choose the regulars and the captain in any way you see fit."

The boys turned to look at Kagome who smiled and nodded, "If you would allow it, i would like to start holding matches after three days, through which the eight boys who win will be chosen as the regulars. As for the Captain, i will inform you of him, with the names of the regulars i choose." she said, a serious light entering her soft sapphire orbs.

With a nod, the Principal said, "You four are excused from as many classes as you need for this." However Kagome smiled and shook her head, "That isn't really needed, sir." she looked at the three boys before turning to the Principal again. "If they don't mind us talking about this during practice, then i think the time we get for practice is enough."

The Principal thought about this then looked at the three boys standing in front of him. Yukimura looked at his two friends and at their nod, he looked back at the Principal, a smile on his face. "We don't mind, Sir." Turning towards the raven-haired girl, who he was beginning to like more and more by the minute, he said, "I hope we all can get along well, Kagome-san."

Kagome smiled back and replied, "I have no doubt that we will, Yukimura-san" Before she could continue, Yukimura shook his head and said, "Please call us all by our first names, Kagome-san." When she went to protest, he smiled and continued, :"If you consider us your friends then please call us by our names Kagome-san."

Kagome gave a smile then nodded before saying, "Then you must also call me -chan instead of -san" she put forth her condition. The three boys nodded then turned to look at the Principal when he said, "Since this has been settled, you can return to your class now. And Kagome-chan," he looked at Kagome "I expect you to hand me the list of regulars as soon as possible."

Kagome nodded before saying, "I'll hand you the list by the end of the week, if it's alright with you, sir." At the Principal's nod, they bowed and excused themselves from the room. Exiting the said room, Kagome turned to the three boys before saying, "So, i'll meet you three during evening practice or maybe in class, in case we share any classes.." at their confused looks, Kagome smiled and signalled behind her, "My class is that way." making the three chuckle or crack smiles.

With that the four dispersed, going to their own class, all four of them with different thoughts in their minds.

_**~*~*~*~*~*~**_

_**Me: That's the end of this chappy... it's rather long i know... but as i stated in my first A/N this was originally the first part to my KagomeYukimura two-shot in my Love and its Sweetness collection.... so it was actually almost three times as long before i decided to convert this into a separate fic altogether...**_

_**Marui: Ani-chan hopes you liked it...**_

_**Yukimura: Ani-han will probably post the next chapter tomorrow *smiles***_

_**Me: Umm... Thanx for the help guys *blinks confusedly* anyway, please read and review.... Oh and one more thing... please ask me if you have any doubts... since i just recently noticed that some words from my chapters get deleted when i post them, for some reason....**_


	2. Evening practice and Discussion

_**Pairings:**_

_**Kagome Higurashi and Seiichi Yukimura (pairing might become a harem... :) with Yukimura in it, of course...)**_

_**Maybe some competition for Yukimura in the form of other prodigies liking Kags... so one-sided feelings towards Kagome could be possible...**_

**Disclaimer: Nope… I own nothing….**

_**Warning; Yaoi (maybe). set in the PoT universe from the second year of the Rikkaidai regulars… characters may be OOC. Descriptions won't really be given unless its an OC or something… The beginning is slightly based on the beginning of 'The Prince of Tennis OVA Another Story 4'**_

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

Cahpter 2: Evening practice and Discussion

As the club members gathered in the courts, having changed into their tennis club uniforms, they started with registering the freshmen who had applied to join the club. Kagome, still dressed in the school girls' uniform, arms crossed over her chest, stood in the corridor from where she had a proper view of the tennis courts, looked at all the applicants and shook her head. She could see that none of them were good enough to be in the Rikkaidai tennis team.

"Kagome-chan?" she heard Yukimura's voice call her. Turning around, Kagome smiled at the indigo-eyed boy, noticing thst he was already wearing the Tennis club uniform, only with the jacket draped over his shoulders, before saying, "Hello, Seiichi-kun." At his smile, she turned back to the boys who had applied to join the club, not seeing the soft look coming into the dark-blue haired boy's eyes. He liked the new found familiarity they seemed to be having now.

"Do you think all these boys will even last the whole year in the club?" she asked, running her eyes over the first years as well as the other left-over club members of last year. Yukimura walked over to stand next to Kagome, as close as he could, but making sure to keep a little distance, so as not to make her feel uncomfortable. He looked over the club members and the new applicants and knew that they all, or atleast most of them were not worth being a part of their team.

In fact, he already had an idea about who they should add in the team, though he wanted to see the way Kagome would choose the members. He looked at Kagome from the corner of his eyes as she continued looking at the tennis grounds, apparently lost in thought. He forrowed his eyebrows in confusion when Kagome's sapphire blue eyes narowed.

He followed Kagome's line of sight and saw some third years looking at a first year intimidatingly. Both the second years looked on as the boy and the third years made their way towards the courts. Turning to look at the blue-haired boy, Kagome said, "Where are Genichirou-kun and Renji-kun?"

Yukimura looked back at Kagome before replying, "They are in the clubroom, they will be meeting us there." Kagome gave a small nod before turning, "Let's go then. I want to see what's going on in the courts" she said. Turning they headed towards he club locker rooms where they were joined by Sanada and Renji, who had also changed into their club uniforms.

Reaching the courts, the four watched the boy defeat each and everyone of the third years. Yukimura caught the look Kagome shot him and nodded. Walking into the courts, Kagome gave the Big Three of the Rikkaidai tennis team a nod, then walked over to stand next to her cousin, who gave her a smile, then a questioning look. Kagome smiled back then mouthed 'Later' before turning to look back at the curly black-haired first year, ignoring the looks, both confused and admiring, she was recieving from the other boys.

"What on Earth is all this fuss?" She smirked, hearing Yukimura's voice say as all three of her new tennis team friends entered the courts, all the other club members, parting to make way for them. She turned to see the third year, lying on the ground after the match he had with the first year, look at the three who had just entered the courts, then say their names, "Yukimura, Sanada, Yanagi"

She chuckled softly when she heard Yukimura's next words, as well as when she saw the smirk he gave, "It would seem you've been taken, senpai" She smiled at the indigo-eyed boy when he looked at her then looked at Sanada when he said, "You! New boy. What are you trying to pull?"

She looked at the said 'new boy' as he answered, "What'm i trying to pull? Can't you tell by looking?" Kagome raised an eyebrow then frowned slightly when he finished, "Just now, i made myself number one in this club."

The three boys turned to the first year as Sanada asked, "What's that?" to which said first year scratched his cheek lightly replying, "But i guess the nation's best ain't so much after all. I kinda thought you'd be a little stronger." His declaration made Kagome's frown deepen slightly which only eased when her cousin gave her hand a soft squeeze. Kagome looked around and saw Sanada's eyes narrow as did Yukimura's and Renji's. "You brat" she heard Sanada say

Turning to Yukimura when she heard him say, "I think we might have to teach this one a little lesson.", she saw he had a smile, more like a smirk on his face. She knew she should calm them down before anything bad happens, so she closed her eyes and let her calming aura spread over eveyone present in the courts. She made sure to only calm them slightly, so as not to let them all calm down completely. After all, if they did calm down completely, she knew that she would be delayed from knowing about the first-year's potential, and she had to admit, he had a lot of it.

Since her eyes were closed, she didn't notice when Yukimura, Sanada, Renji, Yagyuu, Jackal, Niou, the first year and her Bunta-kun turned to look at her as the soft aura calmed them down some. Nor did she notice that Yukimura's eyes had softened a bit more at seeing her try and calm them all down. He saw the raven-haired beauty sigh softly before her eyes opened to reveal her soft sapphire blue orbs, which for some reason seemed to have softened a bit more now.

He saw Kagome blink lightly then look into his eyes with a soft smile. She turned to look at Sanada then said, "Genichirou-kun?" Hearing her call his name, Sanada turned to look at the girl who had just helped him calm down. Seeing her eyes, he nodded once, realising that she wanted him to play the first year, to show him the real power of the Rikkaidai Tennis team.

Walking over to him when the first year started complaining about him having to play a second year, Sanada told the boy to 'leave the bullshit for when he won against him" then started playing against the boy. The boy lost against the 'Emperor', after which Kagome looked at Renji, "Now you, Renji-kun"

Renji nodded then went onto the courts to play against the first year. Once he, too, had defeated the younger boy, Kagome looked at Yukimura and said, "Now your turn Seiichi-kun" Yukimura looked at Kagome and nodded to her, smiliing softly. All the boys surrounding them were very surprised that the Big Three were actually listening to a girl, and a very beautiful girl at that.

They watched as the first year was defeated by the 'Child of God' as well, then fell to his knees in despair. Kagome felt her cousin pull his hand away from her own before he and Jakal made their way towards the fallen first year, as Yukimura walked away from the courts. Kagome was just about to follow him, when she felt a shiver run down her spine.

Turning, Kagome sighed in relief when she saw that her cousin was alright. She saw the first year run out of the courts before making her way to Marui. "Are you ok, Bunta-kun?" she asked her cousin, placing her hand on Marui's shoulder. At Marui's positive answer, she smiled and excused herself. However before she could exit the courts, she heard her name being called out by the 'Emperor'

Turning to him, she answered, "Yes, Genichirou-kun?" Sanada looked at her then turned to the tennis club members, "Everyone, this is our new team Coach and Manager, Kagome Higurashi. From now on, she will be helping us train. She will also be choosing the regulars from everyone here." he looked around at all the boys, only to narrow his eyes when he saw a few of them leering at her. He didn't know why but he felt a bit protective of the raven-haired girl, almost as though she were his own sister. He didn't know what brought about this feeling but he didn't find it as uncomfortable as he thooght he would have.

Kagome bowed in greeting to the others, then without saying another word, looked at Sanada. Sanada, knowing that Kagome wanted to have a talk with him, Renji and Yukimura, nodded before calling Renji over. Kagome walked over to her cousin and talked to him for a while before heading over to the 'Emperor' and the 'Data Master'. Nodding to them both, she lead the way to the clubroom outside which they met up with Yukimura

Kagome, Sanada and Renji stopped in front of the dark blue-haired boy before Kagome gave him a small smile. Signalling to the clubroom, Kagome asked, "Is anyone in there?" Yukimura looked at the other two in confusion, but turned to Kagome in question when the other two looked just as confused as he was feeling.

She sighed softly before saying, "We need to discus about the match orders as well as the new ways to help you all train." she said, raising an eyebrow slightly. At the understanding looks she got from the boys, she smiled, "No, it's empty, Kagome-chan. No one's inside right now." Yukimura answered

Kagome gave a small nod, "That's good. The faster we finish this the better" she said, then lead the way inside the locker rooms. With that the four started their discussion. Almost fifteen minutes later, they had finished with the discussion, Kagome having made a list of everything they had discussed.

The match order to determine the regulars had been made and they had decided to finish the matches in two days, the first day having the matches of the first block and the second day when the second block matches would take place. They had decided to make four sub-blocks in each block, the winners of which would be accepted as the regulars of the team.

The four second-years stepped out of the locker rooms before Kagome turned to the 'Emperor' and the 'Data Master', "Please guide them all with practice while Seiichi-kun and i go and talk to the Principal about the matches." she said. The two nodded before heading towards the courts to start with practice

The two teens made their way to the Principal's office and after having the Principal agree with their match order, they excused themselves and stepped out of the office to head towards the courts. As they walked, a thought struck Kagome. Without looking at the 'Child of God', she asked, "Seiichi-kun?" When he turned towards her in question, she continued, looking at him from the corner of her eye, "What do you think about allowing that boy who you, Renji-kun and Genichirou-kun played against to participate in these ranking matches?"

Yukimura, who had looked back in front as he listened to her, snapped his head towads her as he stopped in his tracks. Kagome stopped as well before turning to look at the indigo-eyed boy, her expression completely serious. He looked deep into her eyes and saw that she seemed to have realised the boy's potential as well.

"That would be a good idea, Kagome-chan. However, i don't think that Sanada.." Before he could continue, Kagome surprised him by placing a slender finger on his lips. "I know that Genichirou-kun may not seem to like him." she said, "however, i could see that he does realise the potential the boy has. If he's added to the team and manages to win his games, seeing as he defeated almost all the regulars of last year, apart from you, Genichirou-kun and Renji-kun, he would be a great addition to the team, don't you think?"

Yukimura looked at her, admiring the way she kept thinking about the well-being of the team. He trailed his eyes over Kagome's features as she turned to look towards the courts again. She turned to him when he said, "I think you're right Kagome-chan. However, do you think he will come to the practices again, after what happened with his game against us?"

Kagome smiled softly then said, "I'm sure he will, Seiichi-kun. In fact i'll make sure of it myself. Akaya Kirihara is a world-class player, and i'm sure he'll be one of the best, improving more and more as he grows up." she said. Her interest in the younger boy, made his smile fade slightly; he didn't know why but he was starting to get slightly jealous of the attention Kagome seemed to be bestowing upon the boy.

"I'll give you till tomorrow to think about it, Seiichi-kun; after all, it's not necessary for your thoughts to be exactly like mine, ne? So.." before she could continue, this time he placed a finger on her soft lips, revelling in the petal-like softness of her pink appendages.

At her soft gasp, he smiled and pressed his finger slightly down on her lips before saying, "I agree with you, Kagome-chan. You are our team Manager and Coach, so it is your responsibility to choose the regulars, Captain and Vice-captain wisely." He didn't know what came over him, but the next thing he knew, he had planted a soft kiss on the raven-haired beauty's cheek before whispering in her ear, "We all trust you, Kagome-chan, especially me"

With that, he pulled his hand and face away from her own, smiling at the soft blush that had taken its place on her cheeks, tinting them a cute pink. Seriously, he didn't know which would suit her better- cute, adorable, beautiful, pretty or gorgeous. Though all of these words were a huge understatement to her beauty.

He was snapped out of his thoughts of her when he felt her soft lips connect with his own cheek in a gentle yet chaste kiss, before she whispered back, "Thank you, Seiichi-kun. And i trust you all as well, which is why i asked for your opinion about this, Captain" Hearing her call him Captain, he snapped his head up to look at her only to see her smiling before she winked, then headed towards the courts again.

It didn't take him long to smile and follow her, only one thought in his mind; if that wasn't a hint that he was going to be the Captain of their team, then he didn't know what was, even though he could see that Kagome wanted to keep it a secret until the regulars are chosen, which is why she had whispered it to him.

Even as they all continued with practice, the Big Three and Kagome supervising the practice matches, there were a lot of times when the boys doubted Kagome's skill, all the boys thinking, _'She's a girl, so she'll probably be no good at tennis.'_ A lot of boys were trying to get close to the raven-haired beauty but always pulled back at the last moment since either Marui, Yukimura, Sanada or Renji would be with her.

To their surprise they had even seen the other potential regulars apart from Marui, namely Niou, Yagyuu and Jackal, talking to the girl. It made them wonder who she was really; after all, never had they ever had a coach nor a manager.

Sooner than they would have thought, practice was over and the tennis club had been dismissed, leaving only the Big Three, Marui, Niou, Yagyuu and Jackal with Kagome. "So, Kags what are you going to do about choosing the regulars?" Marui asked his cousin, excited about her being their manager and coach. Of course, he knew his Kags was an amazing tennis player; she was the one who he learnt tennis from, after all. He couldn't wait till they started team practices; it would be so much fun. He glanced at the one who he had chosen for his cousin and smirked before blowing a bubble from his gum and popping it.

"Se-cr-et..." she said, smiling secretively. When he pouted slightly, Kagome giggled as Yukimura, Sanada and Renji smirked. "You'll come to know soon enough, Bunta-kun." She smiled when he nodded, then turning to the 'Three demons', she said, "Also i would like to play each and every one of the regulars when they are chosen" she got a slightly angry look in her eyes before she finished, "I want you all to be absolutely sure about my skill."

"Sure about your skill, Kags?" Marui's question made Kagome snap out of her thoughts. Turning to her cousin, she nodded, a small frown on her face- a frown that didn't suit her features too much.

"But we are already sure of your skill, Kagome-chan." she turned to Yukimura when she heard him continue, "Knowing you to be the 'Princess of the Tennis courts' shows us how skilled you are already." he said.

Kagome looked at him and smiled, "I know that you, Genichirou-kun, Renji-kun and my Bunta-kun are sure of my skill, Seiichi-kun. However i don't think the others are as sure of them as you four may be." she said.

She looked towards Niou when she heard him ask, "Are you really the 'Princess of the Tennis courts, Kagome-chan, puri?" Kagome gave a smile and a nod before saying, "Yes, i was the 'Princess of the Tennis courts', however, i abandoned the title a few months ago since i wasn't too fond of the attention the title was attracting towards me."

The boys smiled in understanding before Yagyuu adjusted his glasses slightly then asked, "However, there is still the question of why you wish to play all the regulars. As we know that you are" she looked at him pointedly to which he corrected himself, "forgive me, _were _the 'Princess of the Tennis courts', we know that you are very skilled, so why would you want to prove to us your skill?"

Kagome smiled before replying, "You all know i was the prodigy; however the other club members don't. And i feel as though they don't really feel i'll make a good coach to you all." she said, shrugging. "What made you think that, Kags?" Marui asked his cousin, a bit angry that the other club members didn't trust his cousin as much as he, and apparently the others who were with them now, did.

"I saw the look in their eyes, Bunta." she whispered. "They were looking at me with a mixture of confusion and some other emotion.. I don't really know how to describe it... Well it seems they think that because i'm a girl i won'tbe good in tennis. Apart from that..." she paused as though looking for the correct words to describe it.."I guess the word which would suit the other emotion in their eyes would be... hunger"

Hearing that, they instantly knew what she was talking about. Kagome was a beautiful girl and her beauty didn't at all reveal her skill. However, they all knew never to judge a book by its cover or in this case 'a girl by her looks'.Though they knew that Kagome would get a fan-club soon enough, they also knew that once Kagome proved her skill to everyone, most of the boys in the tennis club would join her fan-club as well. This thought in itself made them all feel slightly protective over Kagome.

They all were broken out of their thoughts when they heard Kagone say, "Bunta-kun, i want you and Jackal-kun.." she stopped herself to look at them all, "You all don't mind if i call you by your first names, do you?" she asked, looking around at them all.

They looked at each other before shaking their heads 'no'. Kagome smiled, "As i was saying, I want to see that boy's true potential." She turned to Niou when she heard him ask, "Which boy, puri?"

Kagome smiled, "That first year. The one who, before playing against Seiichi-kun, Genichirou-kun and Renji-kun, said, 'Just now, i made myself number one in this club'" she imitated the boy slightly, making them all chuckle.

Feeling slightly angry at the mention of that boy, Sanada asked, "That brat? Why do you want to add him to our team, Kagome-chan? He..." Kagome smiled and cut him off, "I know you recognised his potential as well, Genichirou-kun. You have to admit he is quite skilled, that little one." she said.

At his resigned sigh, she smiled, "Thank you. You'll see, he'll help us win the Nationals again this year, i guaratee it." Sanada thought about it for a moment before nodding his consent.

Kagome smiled before turning to her cousin again, "Seiichi-kun and i have already discussed about it. We have decided to let that boy compete in the matches we will be keeping in between the club members to determine the regulars. Bunta, i want you and Jackal-kun to meet up with him and tell him who won the Nationals for Rikkaidai. I want you to try your best to subtly convince him to join our team. Once he realises the strength of the 'Big Three' and starts to train in order to challenge them again, i'll take care of the rest." she said

She smiled softly at them when they nodded, "As for the rest of you, i'll need your help tomorrow, We have a lot of preparation and choosing to do tomorrow evening. After making the club practice for about an hour and a half or so, during which i willl observe them all and see if they are good enough for our team, we will dismiss them. Then the six of us will be going to a classroom, i'll inform you which one during tomorrow's practice, and discus a few things." She said softly.

They nodded to which she smiled, "Bunta, i want you to make sure that you both don't underestimate that kid. I've read about him in a magazine while i was travelling here. He may not be known as much as our school tennis team is; however, he is very talented. If possible i would like to play him as well, in case he's not selected in the regulars, though i highly doubt he won't be." she said, looking at the courts in thought before a soft longing look entered her sapphire depths.

The longing in her eyes, surprised them all, apart from her cousin who smiled slightly sadly before reaching forward to hold her hand. Kagome kept looking at the courts, even as she gripped her cousin's hand back. "Look at the bright side, Kags. You get to help us train. You can play against someone in the street tennis courts too. And i'm always ready to play you." he said, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

The other looked at each other in surprise, then looked at Marui before Yukimura asked, "Why do you say that, Bunta?"

The cousins turned to them before Kagome smiled sadly and looked back at the courts. Marui explained, "Since this is a boys' team, Kags won't be able to play against anyone." he blew a bubble from his gum and popped it before continuing, "No-one knows this, but my sister was the one who taught me how to play tennis. As a child i was never interested in it. But then Kags came along one day to stay with us for about two weeks. She kept playing and the more i watched her play, the more fascinated i would become. Seeing me so excited as i watched her play against herself, she asked if i want to learn how to play as well. That was when we both were five, though.

"At the end of her trip to my house, she played a game against me. She said i learnt very fast and would be an amazing tennis player one day. I've practiced hard all these years so that i can try and be as good as her." he finished, surprising them all when he seemed to want to be like her. "However" he continued, "I know i lack in stamina." he sighed "which is why i started having so many sweets and gums, so that i can get as much stamina as my sister has, as well."

He smiled softly, "She's perfect in every way" he smiled before pulling Kagome into his arms for a hug using their entwined hands, snapping her out of her thoughts in the process.

She smiled and hugged her cousin back before pulling away and saying, "It's getting late. I think it's best if you all change before heading home. After all, we have a busy day tomorrow." she said softly.

Wanting to know a bit more about her play-style, Yukimura smiled and asked "Would you mind playing a game against me sometime, Kagome-chan?" Kagome turned to the 'Child of God' before nodding, a small smile on her face, "Of course not. When do you wish to play against me?"

"Maybe tomorrow after our discussion?" he asked, looking alightly hopeful. Kagome thought about it, then smiled, "Maybe if we have time tomorrow." she agreed.

"As for now, i think you guys should go change while i go and check a few things out." she said, looking at the courts again, this time with a smile on her face. Turning to her brother she asked, "Bunta, give me your racket, would you?" Marui nodded and handed his cousin his racket to which Kagome smiled and said, "Thanx. I'll meet you outside your locker rooms in five minutes and give it to you then, k?"

He nodded and along with the others, headed towards the locker rooms to change. Fiive minutes later, when they came out, they looked at each other, hearing balls being hit. Marui smiled wide before running towards the courts, followed closely by the rest of them.

What they saw there surprised them quite a bit. Kagome was hitting the ball on the wall opposite her. Her eyes were closed as she hit the same spot on the wall while keeping one foot in place. What surprised them even more was that even though she had her eyes closed, she kept hitting the ball without missing a beat.

They watched as she finally caught the ball on Marui's racket and sighed, sweat making her face and body glisten slightly in the soft golden rays of the sun. She let the ball fall to the ground as her hand went vertical and she faced the sky, her eyes still closed. A few minutes later she opened her eyes and smiled to herself before turning to the entrance of the court.

"I guess i was keeping you waiting too long, huh, Bunta?" she asked, walking over to him and handing him his racket. Marui smiled and took the racket before placing it in his bag. Turning to her he grinned, "You've improved even more now, Kags" he said, pride audble in his voice.

Kagome smiled before saying, "I need to head back to class." At the boy' confused looks, she smiled, "I left my bag in class since i had planned to talk to the teacher about the class we'll be using tomorrow. But i'm afraid she must have left already." she said, shrugging slightly.

"So i'll just pick up my bag then we can leave" she smiled. At the boys' niods, she and her cousin bid them 'See you's and headed towards the class to pick up Kagome's bag before heading to the bakery for the cake Kagome had promised him.

_**~*~*~*~**_

_**Me: that's the end of this chappy... hope you liked... please read and review... **_

_**Yukimura: The more reviews, the faster Ani-chan will update...**_

_**Me: so right, Sei-kun... *smiles*... so please review.... and please ignore any mistakes i've made... If there's any confusion, in case anything got deleted, please feel free to ask me... review.. :)**_


End file.
